Paper 13: A. Mooney et al (short report).

SHORT REPORT

ZIMS and flamingo management: Moving from data to decisions

Abstract

Despite the popularity of flamingos within zoo and aquarium collections, the long-term sustainability of ex situ populations remains an issue owing to their poor rates of reproductive success. Flock size has already been identified as a key determinant of reproductive success, with larger flocks demonstrating greater reproductive success. In a bid to increase population sizes and reproductive opportunities it has been universally recommended that flamingos should be housed in minimum flock sizes of 20 birds and ideally in flocks of 40 birds. Although practical, these guidelines are based on a very limited body of knowledge and fail to consider species-specific differences in reproductive behaviour and many other factors (such as flock sex ratio and the latitude of and climatic conditions at each institution) thus potentially hindering the sustainable development of ex situ flamingo populations. Using the globally shared records generated from the network of more than 1,100 Species360 members, as part of their Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), we hope to understand how flock size and structure influences reproductive success across latitudinal and climatic gradients, while also allowing us to unravel potential species-specific differences in reproductive behaviour. Results from this study will hopefully be incorporated into global flock management practices, improving the sustainability of ex situ flamingo populations.